Vehicles which travel through adhering materials such as mud, freezing slush and the like suffer detrimental accumulation of these materials on their ground engaging portions. This problem is especially troublesome in vehicles having an endless track system rather than wheels alone. Adhering materials tend to accumulate on the inside surface of the endless track at which location they may subsequently be drawn between a wheel and/or idler of the endless track system and the endless track. This can result in packing of debris between the wheel and the endless track and impose potentially destructive tensions on the endless track and/or the supporting elements. Additionally, an accumulation of debris on the endless track system can increase the resistance to free movement of the endless track system and render the vehicle less powerful and effecient.
Many schemes have been devised to avoid or mitigate these problems. Certain endless track systems incorporate shields to substantially eliminate the intrusion of foreign material. More typically, endless tracks include devices for removing debris that has already accumulated on some portion of the system.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,861,762 issued to Freddy on Jan. 21, 1975, a guard and scraper for an idler wheel is disclosed. This device serves to remove debris that accumulates on an idler of an endless track system. Disadvantageously, at least a certain portion of the debris removed from the idler is permitted to fall back within the track system.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,130,117, issued to Strait on Mar. 2, 1915, discloses inclined shields supported beneath the upper portion of an endless chain of a track system. These shields deflect away from the track system any debris falling from the upper portion of the endless chain. These shields do not appear to assist in removing debris from the head surface of a wheel supporting the endless chain.
Further disadvantageous is that existing shields are generally fabricated from substantially rigid metallic plates. In cold conditions, slush and snow can freeze on these shields and form a bulky mass which tends to affect performance of the vehicle.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.